When I first arrived in Doncaster, it was autumn. I remember looking at the streets covered in yellow, orange and brown leaves and wondering why there were so many leaves everywhere. I had never really experienced autumn before. I did not realise that the colours I was seeing were part of the beauty of the season. Looking back, those leaves remind me of how unfamiliar everything felt.

I had left behind a career in medicine and public health in Nigeria. My family had not joined me yet, I was a student, and I was trying to work out what came next. I travelled by bus and train to school, carrying the uncertainty of starting again in a new country.

When my children joined me, my priorities changed. I wanted them to settle in, feel safe and see other children who looked like them. We travelled beyond our neighbourhood to find a school where they could feel comfortable. There were challenges at first, but they eventually settled in.

“Seeing my children happy at the park made me believe that Doncaster could actually become home.”

I began to understand how much the people around us mattered. Other mothers from my daughters’ school helped with pick-ups when work or childcare made things difficult. We looked out for one another. School activities, Christmas celebrations and our local church helped us build connections beyond our immediate circle. These were not grand gestures. They were ordinary acts of kindness that made everyday life easier.

As a mother working night shifts, I came to appreciate the school’s after-school clubs, too. Knowing my children were cared for gave me time to rest and prepare for work. I also experienced thoughtful support from local health services, including a health visitor who checked my daughter’s development even though she had not been born in the UK.

These experiences have shaped how I think about community and mental wellbeing. When you are raising children, working and adjusting to a new environment, having people you can turn to makes a difference. Sometimes support starts with a conversation, a practical helping hand or someone taking the time to check that you are all right. Research links loneliness with poorer mental health, while Doncaster Mind’s Before Things Break campaign encourages people to seek support before difficulties become overwhelming.

This year’s Black History Month theme, Honouring Our Communities, reminds me that community is built through the things we do for one another, often without realising how much they matter. People contribute by caring for family members, supporting neighbours, volunteering, working in health and social care, and making others feel welcome.

I believe we can all help create a community where people feel comfortable asking for help, where families feel supported and where nobody feels they have to manage every challenge alone. Through my role as a Campaign and Storytelling Volunteer with Doncaster Mind, I hope to help people discover support, share experiences and feel more connected to the community around them.

For me, honouring our communities means recognising the people who help others feel at home. Sometimes, it is the smallest acts of kindness that make the biggest difference to our wellbeing and remind us that we belong.

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